Serious Oriental rug collectors have a tendency to favor older rugs over newer ones. In their opinions, older oriental rugs have patterns that are more unique and intricate than their younger counterparts. The older Oriental rug usually represents pattern, designs, and techniques that may be obsolete by the time the more modern oriental rugs are created. I visited one such collector while staying in Chicago one weekend. When she shops for an oriental rug in Chicago, she first discusses with the owner the history and background of not only the rug but also the seller. Learning about the seller’s background can be surprisingly revealing as to the quality of the Oriental rug they are selling. An owner selling an older rug will always be able to answer any question about the rug easily, and will usually want to tell you even more history about it than you even want to know. On the other hand, a seller who isn’t as serious about making sure they’re selling quality rugs will not have anything specific to say about the rug you’re looking at. They may rattle off spec details about the rug, but they won’t be able to tell you much about the history of the specific rug itself.